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Top 15s for USA in Davos XC

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USSA

2013-02-17 06:49

Jessie Diggins (shown racing in the Tour de Ski) was 14th in a 10k freestyle Sunday in Davos. (Getty Images/Bongarts)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Feb. 17) - Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN) and Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, VT) cracked the top 15 in Davos at the final FIS Cross Country World Cup before the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships open later this week. Diggins was 14th and Stephen 15th as Therese Johaug of Norway got the win in the 10k freestyle while Johann Olsson of Sweden won the men's 15k

It was a season second best distance finish for Diggins who was fourth at the midway split.

Holly Brooks (Anchorage) was 20th

In the men's 15k, Noah Hoffman (Aspen, CO) was 33rd.

Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) chose to sit out the race to prepare for Val di Fiemme.

It was the final race before the opening of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Wednesday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. The team arrive there Sunday evening to begin training in anticipation of Thursday's sprints.

QUOTESMatt Whitcomb, Cross Country CoachJessie, Liz and Holly capped off a positive weekend for our women's World Championships Team. But that being said, the Davos results have left us a bit unsatisfied with each athlete feeling as those they had a little more to offer. This is a good sign that the team is coming into peak form. They are expecting the body to feel good now and they're eager to get their first starts in Val di Fiemme. Today meant something a bit different for each athlete. It was the second best distance result of the year for Jessie and while she has been tying together very solid results all season, today’s result came with the fourth fastest 5 km split. The snap she knows she has is returning. For Liz, Davos presents some challenges in that the course skis as a long gradual uphill grind. She tends to excel in steeper V1 terrain and today I saw some patient and powerful V2 out of her on course. This has been a missing gear for Liz and today we saw it working. For Holly, this weekend has been a double confirmation that she has overcome a flat post-Tour de Ski period and is ready to launch another bid for the top here in Val di Fiemme.